Yes, sometimes even the great Otto Octavius needs a break. I'm not as young as I used to be, as I was when all of this started, and even though I truly do believe I'm in the prime of my life, of my career as an independent scientific researcher and amateur arachnid exterminator, sometimes my mind longs for peace and quiet, for an easier life, one where I can go into the streets unrecognized.
And so I took "my" passport and some money from a recent venture and I bought my ticket and I boarded a plane to France, to join a friend who had already transversed the ocean and another who is a native.
I have wandered the Champs-Elysee, taken a midnight swim in Verdun, and eaten more cheese in 3 weeks than I had in 3 months in America.
The villages are charming, the streets tiny and quaint, the architecture amazing. America can't even compare to Europe, truly.
How wonderful it is to wake up to the birds singing and to wander down to the boulangerie for my breakfast. I don't have to worry about being discovered here... the only thing I have to worry about is "coffee or tea?"... and where I'm going to go to get my coat let out so I can fit into it again. If this keeps up, I may have to go back to my green spandex suits when I go home.
... if I go home.
I don't believe I'm ready to retire yet, but a life without The Bug is quite enticing. A life of research and of the simple pleasures in life: eating excellent cuisine, drinking fine wine, perhaps a little gardening here, a little painting there, a bicycle ride with friends every now and then, and, of course, making sweet passionate love.
I have a friend over here... a native of Metz... who is a dead ringer for my dear Angelina. Unlike Angelina, however, she is sharp, cunning, intelligent... very much her own woman. We have been cohabitating for the past 3 weeks... and some 3 weeks they have been.
I had forgotten what it was like to constantly give and receive affection... I had forgotten how good it feels. Even though she doesn't have much experience at the art of passion (as if I am a master!), she is willing and eager and quite good nonetheless.
Not to mention a good cook.
In all honesty, I am quite unwilling to leave her. She makes me happy. Hell, this entire vacation has done nothing but put me at peace, remind me how good life can be, and contribute to weight gain and a possible coronary attack.
We are scheduled to travel to Toulouse tomorrow, and then to the Mediterranean Sea. I look forward to trying to local cuisine and seeing the sights.
My only regret is waiting so long to have traveled to Europe for the first time!